How to Lead Your Team to Success

By Colin Wilson, Director, Key Business Advisors

Leadership is an acquired skill which is developed and earned over time with experience. Many people believe in order to be a great leader and a driving force in achieving results, they need to be or appear to be strong, powerful and authoritative. There is no doubt as a leader you have to possess leadership qualities and strengths, however if you abuse your power then be prepared to lose the control and respect from the people around you, especially those whom you manage directly.

Leadership is all about empowering people to make a positive difference. Great leaders have a clear vision, strong values and an unwavering sense of purpose and direction, they inspire individuals and teams to join them and lead by example to get the job done. Importantly, whilst leaders are determined to achieve the tasks and goals ahead of them, it is crucial they always remember to acknowledge individual and team successes.

Every business benefits from leaders, they may not necessarily have the title “Manager” instead they may be “Future Leaders”, shining stars with the potential, drive and work ethic to develop into great leaders. These leaders often grow quicker and stronger through utilising a great manager, coach and  mentor. When a business has someone who embodies all of these traits the business has a valuable asset and is rewarded with increased success. This is due to great leaders making the largest impact as they know how to successfully develop the business and how to achieve these results in the most effective and efficient ways possible.

Great leaders also have the ability to read people, they take the time to learn other people’s strengths and weaknesses and therefore understand how to deal with different personality types. They are gifted in the way that they manage people to get the job done, making sure to always keep their composure, use their initiative to take control and make the right decisions as they empower people around them.

Dealing with people is one of the hardest challenges of all time, but great leaders know how to bring out the best in others by helping them develop their skills and knowledge. They understand individuals’ needs, strengths and weaknesses and use those individuals’ qualities to support their personal development. It is common for strong leaders to support others in developing specific skill sets which they may be lacking in, and allow them to take control of matters within their expertise, so they can count on them to achieve the desired results. As Bill Gates said, “Take my 20 best people and, virtually overnight, Microsoft becomes a mediocre company.”

*Register for our free Webinar on Tuesday 31 March 11am (AEDT) to learn more about understanding leadership and achieving improved team performance.